Dr. Serena Petrella

B.A. (Hons); M.A.; Ph.D. (Carleton University)

Assistant Professor

Office: Clark Hall 420
Phone: (204) 727-7412
Fax: (204) 726-0473
E-Mail: petrellas@brandonu.ca

Teaching Areas: Sociology of Marriage and the Family, Social Theory, Social Justice and Sexuality.

Research Areas: The Regulation of Sexuality, Gender and Social Justice, Marriage, Divorce and Family Law, Identity and Citizenship, Foucaludian Theory, Social Theory.

Dr. Petrella was born in Italy and moved to Canada in her teens. Before arriving at Brandon University, she taught as a sessional lecturer at Carleton University and at the University of Toronto. Her current research projects are varied, and focus on gender and social justice, the regulation of sexuality, and social theory. In the area of gender and social justice, she investigates how the Law facilitates “responsible” intimate sexuality, instilling sexual self-governance in individuals. In the area of the regulation of sexuality, she studies the evolution of gender norms around the pair and monogamy. In social theory, she concentrates on the way in which sexual desire is theorized to explain gender formation, the development of gender scripts, and sexual orientation. She is currently conducting a study on the evolution of relationship norms in Canada, that focuses on non-monogamies.